Sekishoku no Miel!
by Rabukurafuto
Summary: Kindly teacher Midori becomes partner to hotheaded Devil Miel, and both their lives are forever changed. An original tale in the world of Konjiki no Gash!
1. Level 1: Midori and Miel

**赤色のミエル!**

_**Sekishoku no Miel!**_

* * *

_I do not own _Konjiki no Gash!_ Or_ Konjiki no Gash Bell! _Or_ Zatch Bell! _They belong to Makoto Raiku_, Shuukan Shounen Sunday_, Shougakukan, VIZ Media, Touei Animation, and Cartoon Network._

_Zero is property of Rahkshi500. _

* * *

**Level 1: ****ミドリとミエル**

**Level 1: Midori and Miel**

As she ran through the empty streets, her footsteps resounding loudly in the night air, Miel realized just how impossible it appeared to actually find her partner. There were many humans and only one of her; any one of them could be the one she was looking for. She couldn't understand how the majority of Devils were able to locate their partners so quickly. Was it luck? Destiny? Hopefully it was destiny—otherwise she would never find her partner at this rate.

It had been three days since she arrived, three whole days she had gone without food and with very little rest. Food and rest were much harder to come by in this land if you didn't have money. Luckily for her, Miel was one of the hardier ones, and wasn't too bothered by the lack of luxuries.

_I sure hope the bitches that picked on me are tired and starving right now,_ she thought with some bitter satisfaction. _That'll teach them for being all prissy and mean. Now if only I can find my partner and defeat them…_

* * *

_Ding ding ding!_

Midori Hachiya groaned, and after a few seconds of fumbling managed to shut off her alarm. She rose out of her futon, stretched luxuriously, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. _Another day of teaching,_ she thought, simultaneously proud and weary of her profession.

Midori headed for her bathroom, turned on the water, showered, got dressed in her favorite green outfit, and prepared her breakfast, a single slice of toast. As it was warming up she went to her mirror to put on her make-up and comb her hair. She looked at her reflection and sighed before she started putting on her lipstick, cruelly reminded by the image looking back at her that she was twenty-six years old and still unmarried. _Is that what you call responsible?_ She thought. _Face it_—_you're an expired Christmas cake, and in a few years you'll be expired toshikoshi soba. _

Twenty-six-year-old or not though, Midori was a very attractive woman with thick long black hair, a sweet round face, kindly brown eyes, a slender figure, and pleasantly wide hips.

And then there were her breasts. They were larger, rounder, and fuller than any other woman's Midori knew of. Not even the sexy models on television seems to have breasts equal to hers. Her friends joked that when she walked she started earthquakes, and people, especially men, would stare at her as she walked down the street. Her friends said she was lucky to be so well endowed. They didn't know what they were talking about. Midori, in fact, didn't like the attention her breasts gave her. It was extremely embarrassing to get on to a crowded subway and having to feel her breasts squish against some stranger. Even worse was when unseen hands would rub against her bosom and she was helpless to do anything because the groper could have been anyone on the train. Some people just refused to take her seriously, lustful men staring shamelessly at her chest even while talking to her and contemptuous women treating her like she was some brainless whore. Then there was the fact that her breasts were so very _heavy_ and by the end of each day her back and shoulders ached terribly. It was difficult finding brassieres that fit, and their sheer size made typing on her keyboard a problem. They stuck out enough that sometimes she would knock things over when turning around, so she had to be very careful when she went to the local department store. All in all, having such large breasts was more of a curse than a blessing, and if Midori could have any wish, it would be for a reduction in breast size.

She was finishing straightening her hair with a comb when she heard to toaster go off. Midori quickly ate it, grabbed her lunch from the refrigerator, and headed out the door to the school she taught at, Mochinoki High.

_I hope I'm not late today,_ she thought worriedly, remembering how embarrassed she was the last time that happened.

* * *

Midori's fears proved groundless. She arrived at Mochinoki High at an acceptable time, and she hurried over to her first period classroom. She taught English, warmly but firmly in order to give her students a profound respect for learning. She couldn't be too hard or too soft, and made sure to remind her students that even if school was profoundly difficult at times it was vitally important and that life was often the same way. 

She came through the door to first period, and was greeted by an unusually talkative classroom. The students were all clustered around a small girl wearing what looked like a gothic lolita-style dress and talking loudly. _Another little kid?_ Midori thought, bemused. _It sure is popular to bring children into class now._

"My goodness!" Midori exclaimed. "What's going on here?" The class quieted down, and she moved to put her heavy textbooks on her desk. "You're all very active today."

Ken Bak, a tall, thin Korean-Japanese boy, stood up. "It's my fault, Miss Hachiya," he said in a sheepish, regretful tone of voice. "My little sister wanted to come with me to school."

Bak was one of Midori's more unusual students. He was highly intelligent, well-behaved, and grasped language amazingly well, even going so far as to write entire short stories in English as extra credit. But he was also very troubled and intensely paranoid, sometimes confiding in her that he couldn't trust any of the other students, that they whispered bad things behind his back and hated him because they envied him. Midori wasn't sure about that, but what she was sure about that someone must have been giving him a hard time about his Korean ancestry. She liked Ken a lot and regarded him as one of the best students she ever had, but she also sensed a great deal of hatred and rage boiling below his cold exterior, and that worried her.

The little girl glanced briefly at Bak's face, and then broke away from the throng of students, walking right up to Midori. She saw that Bak's sister was startlingly pale, her skin looking closer to ivory than flesh, and her eyes were violet, an eye color Midori had never seen before. She looked about seven or eight-years old, but her eyes were eerily _too knowing_ for a child her age. It was like she had no innocence at all in spite of the girlish ribbons and bows that adorned her black dress and short black hair. Midori had seen some girl into gothic loli dressed as if they wanted to look like china dolls, but this girl went beyond anything she had seen before.

The girl smiled broadly and bowed low before Midori. "_Bonjour Mademoiselle Hachiya,_" she spoke in perfect French, right down to the exact accent. "_Je m'appelle Foncé._"

The students buzzed with praise at this. Midori blinked, surprised by the skill of such a young girl. "Oh my!" she said. "You're a very bright little girl!"

"My dear big brother taught me," the girl, Foncé, said, shooting a quick look at Bak.

"Really now!" Midori said. Smiling, she turned to Ken and said, "That's amazing!"

Bak blushed and looked away, swallowing nervously. "…Thank you," he replied after a time, his voice trembling slightly. Midori felt bad for him then, but she had to put her foot down. Class needed to begin now.

"But amazing or not, I can't allow her to remain in class," she said, her tone hardening. "I can't have my students bringing their siblings into class like this." She glanced toward an American-born student, Rahkshi Hundred, and then took Foncé's delicate, gloved hand.

"Come on, young lady," she said soothingly to Foncé. "You can stay in the nurse's office with Mr. Hundred's little friend." She opened the door, and the two walked out of the classroom and into the hall. The nurse's office wasn't far, so they arrived quickly.

A few days ago, a little boy named Zero showed up at the school. Hundred claimed responsibility, and because Zero insisted on returning to Mochinoki High so he could stay close to Hundred he was allowed to stay in nurse's office until Hundred got out of school. Midori found herself hoping that Foncé would start doing the same since Zero was a precocious boy, and he probably got very bored and lonely without any children in his age group to play with in the nurse's office. He would like having some company.

"There's a little boy in here, so you two can play together," Midori said cheerfully. She opened the door for Foncé and said, "Maybe you can teach him some French."

"Alright, Miss Hachiya," Foncé replied politely.

Midori smiled. "Did Ken tell you my name?"

"Yes he did. You're his favorite teacher."

Midori blushed and grew warm inside hearing that. It was obvious that he liked her and her class a lot, but his _favorite_?

"How sweet," Midori said. "I never knew he felt like that! Well, have fun!"

She turned to walk back to class. "I will," she heard Foncé say back.

_What a peculiar child,_ she thought. Foncé seemed very polite and intelligent far beyond her years, but Midori just couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right with her.

* * *

Miel sighed and leaned against the brick wall. The sun was beating down, so she had sought refuge in the shade of an alleyway, trying to conserve her energy. She had been trying for hours, but no one was able to read her book. It was getting discouraging. 

"How are other Devils able to do this so easily?" she wondered aloud.

Just then a boy changed past her alley, followed by another boy, both moving too quick for her to get a good look at. Miel didn't know who they were, but seeing them suddenly filled her with a new resolve. She picked up her book and peeked out, spotting a woman walking her way.

_Will you be able to read it?_ she asked herself.

* * *

The hours went by, and finally school let out. Normally Midori would stay for a few hours after to prepare for the next day, but she decided to prepare at home. She was tired and didn't feel like spending the rest of her Saturday at Mochinoki High. Besides, there would be plenty of time on Sunday. 

Midori briefly noticed Rahkshi dash past her, Zero in hot pursuit. _I wonder if he got along with Foncé,_ she thought.

She was passing by a restaurant when a young girl suddenly charged out from an alleyway beside the restaurant, startling a soft cry out of her and making her step back a little. "You really startled me, young lady!" Midori scolded. She scowled a bit, but then took a closer look at the girl. She was stocky and tough looking, perhaps twelve or thirteen-years old, but she was also dirty and needed a bath. For clothes she wore a tattered red jersey and a pair of faded blue jeans, a covering her short black hair was a beat-up red cap. In her hands was a large hardback chestnut-colored book. The girl looked weary, but there was also a very determined look in her brown eyes.

"Hey," asked the dirty tomboy-looking girl, "can you take a look at this book?"

Midori gasped. The girl looked almost like a derelict. "Oh you poor thing! Do you have a home?"

"No," the girl answered dismissively. "Not yet anyway." She held her book out to Midori. "But can you please look at my book? It's really important."

Midori looked at the book, then at the girl, wondering what this was about. "Alright," Midori said as she took the book, "if it'll make you happy. Then I'll see if I can get you a place to stay."

Midori opened the book to way she assumed was the front. The pages were crisp and smooth, as if they had been printed not too long ago. However, the text on the pages were completely foreign to Midori. The blue characters didn't resemble any script she knew. She flipped through the book to the very first pages when her eyes caught a line of symbols that were red in color. As she looked at them she realized that the meaning of that line was "The first spell: Musruku". She blinked and told herself that it was a trick of her imagination, but she looked again. Somehow that single line made sense to her, it's meaning as clear as if it had been written in normal Japanese.

Then, just when it couldn't get any stranger, the red line of text began to glow a faint red. Midori was transfixed, unable to pry her eyes away. _What's going on here?_

"Can you read it?" the girl asked hopefully.

"Yes…" Midori answered as if in a trance, the red glow reflecting off of her glasses.

The girl's eyes widened with disbelief, then she let out a whoop of joy and pumped her arm in a victory stance. "All right! Looks like I've found my new home!"

Midori blinked. "Home?"

"Yeah!" the girl said. "My name's Miel, and you're my partner! I'll be staying with you from now on!"

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

_Author's notes: Midori calls herself a Christmas cake because in Japan Christmas cake is considered undisirable after 25 December, and tradtionally women over twenty-five were considered undesirable as marrage partners. Recently however the age at marrage has increased to thirty-one. A meal called toshikoshi soba is eaten on 31 December, hence the reason why Midori worries that she will become "expired toshikoshi soba"._


	2. Level 2: The Requirement

**赤色のミエル**

_**Sekishoku no Miel!**_

* * *

_I do not own _Konjiki no Gash!_ Or_ Konjiki no Gash Bell! _Or_ Zatch Bell! _They belong to Makoto Raiku_, Shuukan Shounen Sunday_, Shougakukan, VIZ Media, Touei Animation, and Cartoon Network._

_Zero is property of Rahkshi500. _

* * *

**Level 2: ****王への資格**

**Level 2: The Requirement to Become the Ruler**

Midori returned to her home in a daze, Miel tagging happily along behind. Midori set the chestnut book down on a table and slumped into a chair, silently watching as Miel explored the house.

"It's kind of small here," Miel noted, "but I like it! I can live here no problem!"

Live there? This was just getting too strange. Midori decided that she needed to know what was going on now. "Miel—You said your name was Miel, right?"

Miel turned to her. "Yeah," she answered.

Midori adjusted her glasses and said, "Alright, what's going on, Miel? What's with that book? Where did you come from?"

"Oh yeah," Miel said as she scratched her chin. "I was so excited from finding you that I forgot to tell you. Okay, I'll explain the best I can. First, I'm not human; I'm a Devil from the World of Devils. Second, you're my human partner. Third, there are ninety-nine other Devil kids in the World of Humans with books and human partners like me now. Fourth, we gotta go find and beat each other up! Last Devil standing becomes the ruler of the World of Devils for the next thousand years."

Midori stared at the strange girl, trying to take everything she just heard in. It seemed unreal, like a dream. She felt as though she had stepped into the script of a strange movie. She glanced over at the book, now looking very ordinary with its mysterious glow.

Miel followed her gaze. "That's my book," she said. "It holds my spells, so you need to read them for me so I can fight. I dunno why we need human to read our books, but that's the way it is. If my book is destroyed then _zip!_ Back to the World of Devils for good! So you gotta take good care of my book."

Midori leaned forward slightly and pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering if she was going to wake up soon. "I have a very busy job Miel," she said. "You need to pick someone else to be your partner."

"Someone _else_?!" Miel asked incredulously. "You can read my book! That means you're the _only_ human who can be my partner!"

"I don't know about this," Midori said. "Children being forced to fight? That sounds really horrible to me. I don't really want any part of this."

Miel's face fell, like that of a child told that her birthday celebration had been cancelled. "But…I've waited my entire life to enter the Devil Battle! I wandered this city for days looking for you! It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance! It was my dream to enter it!"

Miel fell to her knees, and stared pleadingly up at Midori. "You're not so heartless that you would trample on a maiden's dream, would you?" she asked, looking ready to burst into tears at any second.

Midori was taken aback by Miel's display. Trample on a maiden's dream? Where did she come up with things like that? But if Miel honestly felt like that, then why should she refuse her? It really would be cruel to just send her away with no one to read her book for her. On the other hand, Midori was uncomfortably reminded of a film she saw a few years back called _Battle Royale_, about middle school students being dumped onto an island with weapons and instructed to kill each other until only one remained.

_What kind of place would send its children to a foreign world to fight one another?_ she thought.

Midori sighed, feeling sorry for Miel. "Well," she said, and Miel's sadness was replaced with hopefulness, "I can let you stay here and I'll take care of your book."

Miel's eyes lit up and an excited grin spread across her face. She leapt vigorously into the air and exclaimed, "_Yes! _Thanks so much!"

"On one condition," Midori coolly added.

Miel suddenly froze in place, her eyes wide. "Condition?" she asked meekly.

Midori stood up, planted her hands on her hips, and gave Miel her best stern teacher look. "No fighting unless you absolutely have to."

Miel wobbled, nearly lost her balance, regained, and stared at Midori. She opened her mouth, then closed it, scowling.

"Are these acceptable terms?" Midori asked.

Miel looked at the floor and grumbled something.

"What was that?" Midori asked.

"…Yeah," Miel answered.

"'Yeah' what?"

"Yeah, they're acceptable terms," Miel said grumpily.

"Good." Midori headed for her kitchen. "I'm going to prepare dinner now. You must be hungry after searching for me."

Miel followed her. "You know, I _am_ hungry. I didn't even notice until you said so."

"I'm sure," Midori replied as she started putting rice in her electric rice cooker.

"Hey," said Miel, "I forgot to ask your name."

"My name is Midori Hachiya."

"Oh."

Miel silently watched Midori preparing some steamed vegetables for a time. "Hey, Midori?"

"Yes?"

Miel walked close to Midori and looked at her intently. "How did your boobs get so big?" she asked.

"They just did," Midori answered flatly.

"Really?" Miel asked disappointedly, and patted her own chest, which was quite flat. "I must be doing something wrong. I've got nothing at all here. Man, I wish I could be well-stacked like you."

"Big breasts aren't everything," Midori said, a hint of anger in her voice. "I'm more qualified to know than anyone. Now can we please change the subject?"

"I guess I'll just look for something to do around the house then," Miel said, and walked out of the kitchen. Soon Midori heard the sounds of her television playing, so Miel must have found something to watch.

Midori shook her head. _Even where she comes from girls are pressured to have big breasts,_ she thought with disgust as she chopped some vegetables. _It's like no one cares about intelligence and personality any more. I'll wager that that Foncé girl could grow up all beautiful and intelligent, but if she doesn't develop breasts the size of melons no boy would—_

Midori gasped and nearly cut her own fingers with her knife. She dropped her knife onto the chopping board and stared at her vegetables. _Bak came in with a strange child, and a few days earlier so did Hundred…Could Zero and Foncé be Devils? _

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

_Author's notes: Please read and review, Constant Readers, and be sure to join Miel and Midori next chapter in "Miel Versus Hyde"!_


	3. Level 3: Miel Versus Hyde

**赤色のミエル**

_**Sekishoku no Miel!**_

* * *

_I do not own _Konjiki no Gash!_ Or_ Konjiki no Gash Bell! _Or_ Zatch Bell! _They belong to Makoto Raiku_, Shuukan Shounen Sunday_, Shougakukan, VIZ Media, Touei Animation, and Cartoon Network._

_Tory is property of Rahkshi500._

* * *

**Level 3: ****ミエル対ハイド**

**Level 3: Miel Versus Hyde**

Tory was sitting on the steps of the Devil Academy, quietly eating his lunch of fish and admiring the view the cliff afforded him. It was overcast that day, so he didn't have to worry about the sun affecting his vulnerable skin. He was a slight, thin boy with snow-white skin, pale red eyes, and white hair. Due to his skin being so sensitive to sunlight he had to wear clothes that covered the majority of his body.

"May I sit with you Tory?" a demure voice behind him asked. He turned around to find a small girl nearly as pale as he standing on the steps above him. She had short, silky black hair tied with a large violet bow and thin lines emphasizing the joints on her hands. She wore a simple purple dress, the same color as her large eyes. Tory recognized her as one of his classmates, Gentilé of Clan Ying. They shared some of the more prestigious classes provided to the more powerful families in the World of Devils. He didn't know her particularly well, but she seemed nice enough.

"Alright," he answered. Gentilé settled down next to him and produced a lunch pail. She pulled a fish out of her pail and began to daintily nibble on it.

Tory returned his gaze to the horizon, but his mind was on a girl he would see on occasion, a girl he rarely saw but was nearly always on his mind. He remembered the first time he saw her, lifting those heavy weights by the waterfall near his forest home. It was so exciting to watch as those powerful muscles strained against the weight, as sweat dripped off her brow. He didn't dare hope he would ever get to see such a girl in his life, yet there she had been, not but a few meters away from his hiding spot. He did feel a bit guilty for spying, but he didn't want to risk making her angry.

Since then he had tried to learn whatever he could about her, but his abilities were limited by his delicate physical condition. Matters weren't improved by how she came from an unremarkable family, so she didn't attend any of his classes at the Academy. But he did manage to learn her name, even he was never able to work up the courage to actually speak to her. But now she was gone…

"Did someone important to you go to the World of Humans?" asked Gentilé. Tory was startled out of reverie by her voice.

"I, ah…" Tory replied, somewhat embarrassed.

Gentile turned to the horizon. "It's alright if you don't want to talk about it," she said. "I think about my younger sister and older brother very much ever since they went to the World of Humans. I miss them, and pray for their safe return."

_I think about someone a lot myself,_ thought Tory. _I wonder how she's doing now…_

* * *

_Don't I have all the luck?_ Miel though. _First I can't grow any boobs, then I get stuck with a partner who doesn't even want to fight. This sucks._

It was Sunday morning, so it was Midori's day off. Midori and Miel were out shopping at the Mochinoki Department Store. Miel had convinced Midori to bring the chestnut book in case the encountered any trouble even though Miel doubted that other Devils could have located their partners so quickly.

"Can I ask you something Miel?" Midori asked after leaving the department store after picking up some new clothes for Miel.

"Sure."

"When did the Devils start arriving in the World of Humans?"

"We appeared a few days ago," Miel answered.

"Another question," Midori added. "How can I identify a Devil?"

"That can be a little tricky," Miel answered. "We Devils come in a lot of shapes and sizes, from just like a human to floating chunks of glowing crystal. Some Devils can disguise themselves too, making things even harder. But other Devils can sense Devil auras, so disguises don't always work. A thing to watch for are boys with lines running down their cheeks, but even that isn't perfect since some Devil boys don't have these lines. Like me, Devil girls tend to look just like human girls so they'll be harder to spot."

"I see," said Midori. "I'll remember that."

"Whoa, check out the hooters on that one! Jumbo-size!"

Midori whipped her head in the direction of the catcall. Standing nearby was a tall teenager with long red hair and baggy clothes holding a skateboard. Getting a good look at her face, he suddenly backed off. "On second thought, you're a bit old for me," he said, waving his hand dismissively.

"I don't have to listen to this," Midori muttered as she turned to go away. "Let's go Miel."

Miel sighed and was about to follow Midori's lead when she noticed a small boy standing next to the rude teenager with spiked-up reddish-brown hair and large green-blue eyes.

Eyes that had lines running down under them, extending down his cheeks.

Miel tugged on Midori's sleeve. "He's got a Devil!" she hissed. "Look at his face!" Midori gasped and turned around, spotting the boy.

"Sorry kid," the teenager said to Miel, thinking she was looking at him, "but you're too young for me." He turned away from Miel and Midori, and said, "It's just not my lucky day today."

"What do I do?" Midori whispered to Miel.

"Take my book and read the spell aloud with feeling!" Miel whispered back. "I'll take care of the rest!"

Midori fumblingly pulled the chestnut book from a bag and flipped though it, trying to remember what the spell was called.

The boy next to the teenager noticed Midori's book and nudged his teenaged companion. "Uh, Eita…" he said.

"Just no luck at all…" Eita mused, still not looking.

Midori found the page with the first spell on it, and the red writing glowed. Miel swallowed excitedly at that, eager to try her spell. _It's been too long,_ she thought as she braced herself for the change, tightly clenching her hands.

"_Musruku!_" Midori intoned. Miel felt her heart suddenly kick into overdrive, rapidly pumping blood through her body, her muscles eagerly receiving the oxygen and the raw power Midori's heart energy gave the spell. It felt as though molten lava was coursing through her veins, and she loved it. Her body was overflowing with body, and within seconds her muscle mass increased dramatically. Her biceps expanded, her shoulders broadened, her abdominals inflated. Her outfit, which was so loose before, was no almost skin-tight. The entire transformation only took a few seconds, but to Miel it always felt longer than that, and if she had her way it would take much longer so that she could enjoy it more.

Midori stared, amazed at Miel's fantastic change. _This is her first spell? She looks invincible!_

"Eita! _Eita!_" the boy urged, franticly nudging Eita's side. He regarded Miel with big, fear-filled eyes.

"Oh, what is it Hyde?" Eita asked as he turned to look. His eyes landed on the transformed Miel. "Hey, what happened to you?" he asked, puzzled by her sudden change.

"She's a Devil you numbskull!" Hyde yelled. "Quick, the spell!"

"Okay!" Eita pulled a sky-blue book out and flipped it open with a practiced flick of his wrist.

"I'm not gonna let read you read even one spell!" Miel boasted, and charged at the duo, her powerful legs propelling her forward with incredible speed. She drew her fist back, ready to clobber her targets.

"_Jekyru!_" Eita shouted. A few seconds more and Miel would have at least bloodied his face with her fist. Instead, a sudden fierce gust of wind tinged with greenish energy slammed into her, hurling her back. Miel grunted and hit the pavement. She was one her feet in a second though.

"Is that all you've got?" she demanded. "That didn't hurt at all!"

"We're not gonna lose to a girl!" Eita retorted. "Not even one who has steroids for breakfast! _Jekyru!_"

Miel braced herself, planting her feet firmly onto the pavement and throwing out her enlarged arms to act as a shield for Midori. But the spell wasn't meant for her. Eita flipped onto his skateboard and sailed up the spiraling currents of emerald wind Hyde was now producing. The pair flew straight up into the air and floated over Miel.

"Hey! No fair!" Miel cried. "Get down here you chickens!"

"You can't reach us," Eita shouted over the roar of Hyde's wind, "but we can reach _you! Jekyru!_" Hyde thrust his hands at Miel, and a green blast of concussive force burst from his palms.

_This again?_ Miel thought as she ran to meet the attack. As before it merely blew her back without causing any real damage.

"You guys are weak!" Miel jeered.

"Eita," said Hyde, "we can't defeat this girl by attacking her head on. We need to target her bookkeeper."

"You're saying we can't beat a girl in a fair fight?" Eita demanded.

"She's amazingly strong!" Hyde insisted. "Our only chance is to go straight for her book!"

"No, I don't feel like fighting if you can't even take on one lousy girl," said Eita. He turned to Miel and shouted, "We're leaving! It's not like we wanted to fight a girl anyway!"

Eita and Hyde swept forward into the emerald wind and abruptly vanished.

"What a bunch of chickens," Miel sneered. "Come on Midori, let's get out of here."

"Yes, let's," Midori said in a dazed tone, oblivious to the people that had gathered around them to see what was going on.

"Is that a girl?" someone asked.

"She looks like a bodybuilder," said someone else.

Miel beamed and flexed her arms for the crowd. "Yeah, I'm pretty incredible aren't I?" she said boastfully.

"What a freak!" a spectator called out.

"Get back to the circus where you belong!"

Miel's face fell. Her confidence was replaced with uncertainty. She slowly backed away from the crowd, which had begun hurling abuse toward her.

"You're the ugliest girl I've ever seen!"

"You're an eyesore!"

"Girls aren't supposed to have muscles!"

Miel lowed her head and charged off in the direction of Midori's home. Midori glanced around at the jeering crowd for a second before running after Miel.

* * *

Eita Kubozuka watched the scene from the rooftop of a nearby building. He felt a little bad for the girl now, but not enough to do anything for her. After all, she did try to pound his face.

"What's wrong with you?" Hyde demanded. "Why didn't you attack the bookkeeper?"

"It's just not my style to attack helpless women, okay!" Eita snapped. "It's just not right!"

Hyde shook his head. _Why did I have to get stuck with this idiot?_ he wondered. _I'll never be king at thins rate._

* * *

Midori found the front door of her home open. She carried her bags inside and found Miel sitting on the floor with her face in her hands, sobbing. She had reverted to her normal appearance.

"Miel…" Midori said gently.

"It's no different in this world!" Miel cried. "Everywhere I go, people hate me for how I look!"

Midori sat down next to Miel. "Because of your muscles?"

"Everyone thinks I'm an ugly monster!" Miel wailed, her voice cracking. "You do too, don't you!"

"No!" Midori said. "I admit I was surprised, but you're not ugly at all! So don't listen to anyone who says otherwise!"

"The teachers back in the World of Devils always told me sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. But they _do!_ They hurt worse than any punch I've taken!"

Miel got up and sniffed. "It's not fair Midori! You're so perfect and beautiful! You're everything I want to be! _Need_ to be!"

"Oh Miel!" Midori said sadly as she gave Miel a reassuring pat on the back. "You don't want to be like me at all! Having big breasts like mine may seem nice, but it's a colossal pain! My shoulders ache a lot every day from carrying these things around. I'd trade my big breasts for your big muscles any day!"

Miel stared at Midori, completely dumbstruck. "No—no way," she whispered, no longer crying. "You can't mean that."

Midori grabbed Miel in a hug. "I mean every word," she said softly.

Miel found her face pushed against Midori's chest. "Hey, Midori," she said, her voice muffled slightly, "not too tight."

Midori released Miel with a giggle. "See, that's another bad thing about having big breasts. I might accidentally suffocate you!"

Miel cracked a smile. "Yeah, I guess so."

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

_Author's notes: That was an interesting chapter to write. I sure like writing nice, long chapters._

_Please read and review everyone! _


	4. Level 4: Hekuri

**赤色のミエル**

_**Sekishoku no Miel!**_

* * *

_I do not own _Konjiki no Gash!_ Or_ Konjiki no Gash Bell! _Or_ Zatch Bell! _They belong to Makoto Raiku_, Shuukan Shounen Sunday_, Shougakukan, VIZ Media, Touei Animation, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**Level 4: ****赫利**

**Level 4: Hekuri**

_The forest…the forest is dying…my people…all gone…nothing left…help me…if this voice reaches you…please, answer…I came running through the night…I'm weak…help me…_

_Help… Me…_

* * *

Light. Even behind closed eyes, Midori could feel light. She opened her eyes. A soft white light was filling her room, dancing near the center. Midori blinked and sat up—she always slept lying on her back, for the size of her breasts made it impossible to sleep on her stomach without inflicting a great deal of pain on herself. She had the strangest feeling that someone's voice had been calling out to her…

"_Help…me…_"

"_Eek!_" Midori nearly jumped out of her bed in fright. "Who are you and what do you want!? _Miel!_"

"_Don't…be afraid…_" The light condensed, taking a vague humanoid shape. Midori watched as the light shimmered and dimmed. It faded away completely, and there was a young boy standing there. He was slender and very handsome and looked to be about sixteen-years-old. His most notable feature was his paleness. His hair was as white as pearls, and his large, mournful eyes were a startling orange color. He wore a strange white and pale-blue uniform. It was unlike any uniform Midori had ever seen.

The boy held out his hand to her and smiled. Midori was struck by how handsome he was, how his face radiated gentle kindness. "Will you…help me…"

Midori's heart pounded. Who was this boy and what was he doing in her room? It was scary, but a little exciting too. "Who are you?" she whispered.

"Hekuri…" The boy took Midori's hand in his. Midori gasped. "My name…is Hekuri…"

Midori looked at his hand. The skin was soft and flawless. She felt strangely giddy, like she was a schoolgirl again and experiencing her first crush. "Hekuri? So you were the one calling out to me?"

"Yes," Hekuri nodded. "I'm…very weak…I need help…" He stumbled slightly, falling on his right knee. "Please…"

"How do I help you?" Midori asked, suddenly worried about Hekuri. It was creepy that he would just show up in her room as a ball of light, but she was certain he meant her no harm.

But what is he? Is this another Devil? 

"I just need…a place to stay…"

"A place to stay?" asked Midori.

Hekuri looked up at her and smiled. "Yes…maiden…"

Midori blushed. "Maiden?"

"_Midori!_" a piercing voice suddenly called. Midori cried out and clapped her hands over her ears. It was like a drill in her skull. "_Midori!_"

"So long…" Hekuri whispered. "Please…tell no one…"

"_No!_" Midori cried.

* * *

"Hey, Midori!" 

Midori opened her eyes, this time for real. She turned her head and found Miel standing beside her bed, arms crossed over her flat chest. "Miel?"

"Man, how long are you gonna sleep?" the Devil girl asked. "It's almost time for you to leave."

"_Oh no!_" Midori leapt out of bed and ran to the dresser and got some new clothes. "I'll be late for sure!" she lamented. "Why didn't the alarm go off?"

"It did go off," said Miel as she left Midori's room. "You slept straight through it."

Midori quickly changed out of her pajamas to her usual clothes, applied makeup, tucked Miel's book into her book bag, and rushed out to work. "Late, late, late, late, late!"

Miel watched the human run off into the distance. "I guess I'll go check that park she mentioned," Miel thought aloud.

* * *

"Late, late, late, late, late!" Midori cried all the way to the high school. She made it through the homeroom door just as the bell chimed. _Oh thank god!_ She stood behind her desk, panting for a few moments, then turned to the class. "Good morning, everyone," she said as cheerfully as possible under the circumstances. 

"Good morning, Miss Hachiya," the class answered back.

Midori smiled. "Alright class, let's start the lesson. Please open your textbooks to page…"

* * *

With a little help, Miel managed to find the local park by herself. She walked along the forested area, looking around for a place to play. Glancing around, she noticed a little girl in a pink dress and a wide grin digging into the ground with a little shovel. Miel shook her head and headed in the opposite direction, deeper into the wooded area. "I'm not gonna hang out with little kids," she muttered. 

The woods were pretty, but dull. Miel grumbled. Was there anything to do in this place? The only remotely fun thing to happen to her was almost fighting that wind-using Devil from the day before.

Bored, she found a wooden bench and sat down. She leaned back and looked up at the blue sky above. Clouds drifted overhead with agonizing slowness. Much like how she felt her time in the World of Humans was going. When she had heard she was one of the kids chosen for the Devil Battle she had been thrilled, imagining that it would be non-stop excitement and action. Yet here she was, desperately wishing for a fight.

"Someone, _any_one, please find me," she begged.

"Found you," a voice spoke up in her ear.

Miel shrieked and jumped forward. Whirling around to confront the speaker, she found a teenage girl sitting next to where she formerly was. The girl was wearing very little, just a long skirt made from broad leaves, a bra that seemed to be fashioned from hollowed-out coconuts, and a large white flower tied into her wild-looking hair. That was it. She certainly needed coconut shells as a bra too—her breasts were about the size of ripe coconuts. Miel flushed with envy just looking at her. The girl also has lustrous dark skin and yellow-green hair. Her hair reminded Miel of a bush, rather crazy and untamed. She had to admit the strange girl was really quite attractive.

_Everything I'm _not!

"Hey," the girl said with a cheeky grin. "Did I scare you?"

"Yeah, kinda," Miel said. "How come you're almost naked?"

The girl shrugged. "I'm just proud of my natural body. I don't get why that's so weird with everyone."

"Not everyone is proud of their natural body," Miel said as she sat beside the girl. "I'm sure not."

"Why?"

"Why? I hardly even look like a girl! I'm so flat I get mistaken for a boy!" Miel pouted. "Everyone thinks I look like a freak, that my muscles are too big and unladylike."

"Aw, don't listen to them," the girl said. "You look fine!"

Miel looked at the girl. "Really?" In her experience, teenage girls with figures half as good as this one tended to belittle any others less well endowed than themselves.

The girl grinned. "Sure! You're better than fine—you look amazing!"

Miel blinked, hardly believing what she was hearing. She beamed with pride. "Really? You think so?"

"Oh yeah! I mean look at these muscles!" The girl suddenly grabbed Miel's arms and felt along her bicep. "Wow! So sexy…"

"Hey," Miel said, surprised, "what are you—"

The girl brought her face to Miel's, just centimeters apart. Her eyes were misty and gazing into Miel's with adoration. "Let's get to know each other a little better," she breathed huskily, "Macho Girl…"

A sick feeling of revulsion filled Miel's insides. With a disgusted cry she slapped the girl away and left her seat. "Get away from me!"

The girl was startled and hurt. "Huh?"

Now anger bubbled inside Miel. This predator had the nerve to wonder? "Keep your hands off me you sick man-hater! I'm not like that!"

The girl gave Miel an incredulous look. "What? Come on, you're the butchest chick I've ever seen! Don't tell me you're not—"

"Of course not!" Miel snapped. "I _hate_ looking like a dyke! I've had to put up with stuck-up bitches calling me ugly and butch forever! I don't need a real dyke trying to play some perverted game with me!"

The girl got up and sneered. "Fine; okay, Macho Girl. I see you hate yourself. Let me know when you're no longer in denial."

Miel raised her fist. "Call me a dyke a again," she said darkly, "and I'll clobber you!"

The girl sighed, throwing up her arms in resignation. Without another word, she turned around and walked off. Miel watched her for a moment, then ran in the opposite direction.

* * *

Hours later, school was over and Midori had walked to the park. She figured Miel would give the place a look on her suggestion. As she had instructed, Miel was in the playground, leaning against a slide. She walked over to the meeting place and waved. "Hi Miel!" 

Miel waved weakly back. "Hey," she mumbled, keeping her gaze directed at her feet.

Midori stopped. Something was wrong with Miel. "Are you alright?"

"Just angry," Miel replied. "Some pervert girl tried to have her way with me, but I scared her off."

"Pervert girl?"

"Yeah, she acted all nice at first, but then she touched me and tried to kiss me or something. She's gone now though."

Alarmed, Midori looked around. "There's someone like that here? We should tell people to be careful, if she's a real pervert."

"She won't come back as long as I keep watch," said Miel. "So how was your day?"

Midori sighed. She had gone through the day like a machine, thinking about her strange dream and the beautiful boy, Hekuri. What a strange name! What caused her to dream of such a thing? _My subconscious is telling me I need a boyfriend bad._

She opened her mouth to tell about her dream, but she remembered Hekuri's last words. _Please…tell no one…_

"Midori?"

"Oh, I had a normal day," she said nonchalantly.

"Cool. Hey, is my book in that bag?"

Midori pulled the book out. "Right here. I take it everywhere now."

"_Julon!_"

"Huh?" asked Miel. The ground beneath them suddenly shook, then burst open! A thick tree root exploded out from the dirt and moved, tentacle-like, toward Miel, wrapping around her and pinning her arms to her sides.

"Hey!" she cried indignantly.

"Miel!" Midori stared at the attacking root in horror. "What's going on…?"

"So," a voice called out, "Macho Girl turned out to be a Devil."

"_You!_" Miel seethed. Midori turned to find two girls facing them standing a short distance away, the shorter of the two holding a glowing dark pastel green Devil book.

"A Devil," Midori whispered.

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

_Author's notes: I really needed to update this story. Miel's about to have a more substantial battle than the one with Hyde, so the next chapter should be exciting. Also, who is this Hekuri guy and what does he want with Midori? You'll just have to read later chapters to find out! Please let me know what you think of this chapter._


	5. Level 5: Xenia and Ashley

**赤色のミエル**

_**Sekishoku no Miel!**_

* * *

_I do not own _Konjiki no Gash!_ Or_ Konjiki no Gash Bell! _Or_ Zatch Bell! _They belong to Makoto Raiku_, Shuukan Shounen Sunday_, Shougakukan, VIZ Media, Touei Animation, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**Level 5: ****キセニアとアシュリー**

**Level 5: Xenia and Ashley**

"So you're the one who was mean to Xenia," the smaller girl said accusingly. She was short and somewhat dark-skinned with silky black hair drooping lifelessly. She glared at Miel, her petite features red with anger. "You're a rotten person to say those things to Xenia! Say you're sorry!"

"I'm not apologizing to that pervert!" Miel yelled back.

Xenia glared and the roots constricted, squeezing Miel painfully. "Forget it Ashley; we'll just burn her book. But not before smacking her around a little first. I need to work off some steam."

Midori turned to Miel. "Miel, what did you say to her?" she asked, concerned.

"There are more important things to think about right now!" Miel barked.

"Oh! Yes!" Midori opened the book. It began glowing as she willed her feelings into it. The magic words seemed to leap right off the page. "_Musruku!_"

"_Yes!_" Miel groaned as her muscles suddenly expanded prodigiously. The root struggled to maintain its hold on its now very bulky captive. Miel grinned and flexed her muscles, and the root ruptured in several places. Loosened, Miel tore herself free and stomped on the root.

"Is that all you've got?" Miel jeered, flexing her arms. Her biceps bulged mightily.

Xenia blushed. "You're even more macho than I thought, Macho Girl," she whispered. "Nice…"

Miel grinned and crossed her arms, tensing her muscles. "Cool, huh? Yeah, I'm the goddess of strength. Check it out, I'm just _totally_ ripped…" She executed one pose after another, much to Xenia's delight.

_Not very modest, are you?_ Midori thought.

"Xenia!" Ashley cried. "Stop thinking about that! She's just trying to distract you!"

"Huh?" Miel stopped her showing off and gave Ashley a puzzled look. "No I wasn't! I just want to show you how cool am."

Ashley sighed, and then held her book out. "_Julon!_"

Another root burst from the ground and rushed snakelike at Miel. Miel stood her ground and stared intently at the oncoming root. _Gotta time this just right…_

"Miel!" Midori screamed.

Miel's hands flashed out and caught the root just before it reached her. "Relax Midori," she said casually, clutching the squirming root tightly. "I've got this covered." With a sharp twist she tore the root in half and carelessly tossed the end over her shoulder.

"I asked you before, is that all you got?" Miel asked insolently.

"What a girl!" Xenia gushed, her face flush with excitement. "So sassy and tough!"

Miel struck a dynamic pose, giving a "V" for victory sign and winking. "That's me, the sexy, sassy, super awesome Devil girl Miel!"

"Xenia, I thought you wanted to teach her a lesson for being mean," Ashley pointed out. "If you're not gonna take this seriously then I'm gonna go home."

"I know, I know," Xenia sighed. She turned to Miel with a cheeky grin. "Hey Macho Girl, you do know I've been checking you out this entire time, right? Muscles on a girl _really_ gets me hot!"

Miel abruptly stopped. "Hey, yeah!" she exclaimed, shuddering. "_Ew! _Stop perving at me!"

"Make me, Macho Girl!" Xenia and Ashley ran off into the wooded area, laughing and hooting.

"Well, they ran away," said Midori. "Let's just go home now."

"No!" Miel insisted. "That pervert isn't gonna get away with that! I'm _so_ gonna burn her book, and I'm gonna enjoy it, too!"

"That girl clearly is trying to egg you on to make you fight," Midori said. "That's just what she wants, so let's disappoint her by not fighting."

"But that'll disappoint me too!" Miel argued. "I'm going in!" She took off after Xenia and Ashley, her powerful legs carrying her swiftly. "Just stay there Midori! I can handle this with Musruku in effect! You don't need to do anything!"

"Miel!" Exasperated, Midori chased after the rambunctious Devil girl. It was rather difficult to do so in high heels though, and Miel was much faster than her. _I need to build up my endurance,_ Midori thought, panting and gasping.

* * *

Miel found Xenia and Ashley standing smugly in a clearing. Xenia hand her arms crossed under her oversized breasts, a triumphant smirk on her face. "Hey Macho Girl. Come to get to know me better?"

"You wish, perv," Miel growled. "Just hand over the book. You can't hurt me with any of those wimpy attacks."

"Back there, maybe," Xenia said. She dropped into a combative stance. "It's a different story here, Macho Girl! Ashley!"

"_Julon!_" the girl cast. A root, this one much thicker and longer, lunged out of the ground in front of Miel, lashing back and forth fearsomely like a bullwhip.

"Try _that_ on for size," Xenia laughed.

"No sweat," Miel said, catching the root in both hands. It struggled, but she held firm.

Xenia's eyes glinted wickedly. "Too bad your brain's weak and underdeveloped compared to the rest of your bod."

"_Julon!_" Ashley read again. This time, the ground rumbled under Miel's feet, almost throwing her off balance. She peered down in time to witness eight or so roots emerge violently from the earth around her. The ground crumbled away as the roots swayed for a moment, then shot forward from all directions. Miel grunted, releasing the root she caught to bat away another root. Two slipped behind her and wrapped around her ankles and pulled back, yanking her off her feet. Miel yelled in protest as two more roots encircled her arms. The rest surged forward, weaving around Miel's struggling body.

"Gotcha," Xenia smirked.

"_Miel!_" Midori had entered the clearing just in time to see Miel get engulfed by the deadly roots. She stared, horrified, at the organic lump, the roots quivering as they held Miel down. The roots were much stronger out in the wooded area, stronger than even Miel could handle.

"Hey, human," Xenia called. "We're not gonna hurt you, so just give us your book. I don't like doing it, but we'll squeeze Macho Girl until she pops otherwise." To punctuate her point, the roots suddenly constricted, forcing a scream out of Miel.

_I can't do anything,_ Midori thought desperately. _If I attack they'll just catch me in the roots too. But Miel can't do anything in there! What am I going to do? I need help…_

"_Don't worry; I'm here to help._"

"Midori snapped back to attention. "What?"

There was flash of light, and then a very familiar white-haired teenaged boy was standing beside her. He smiled and put his hand on the book.

"Hekuri?" Midori gasped, scarcely believing what she was seeing.

"Who're you?" Xenia demanded.

"He just…appeared," Ashley stammered.

"I'm much stronger now," Hekuri said, and a white aura surrounded him. The light he produced seemed to pour into the chestnut book like a fluid into a pan. He grunted, his face strained. The aura faded and the book began glowing by itself. Hekuri fell to his knees, panting.

"Hekuri!"

"A new spell," Hekuri gasped. "Please, read it!"

Midori opened the book. Sure enough, a new line of text was glowing. "_The second spell,_" Midori read, pouring her emotion into it, "_Gou Musruku!_"

* * *

_I can't move,_ Miel thought. The roots covered her completely. Their skin was dirty and rough, painfully clamped around her. It was claustrophobic, and Miel felt like she was going to suffocate. She could barely hear what was going on now. She thought she heard Midori's voice outside, crying out something.No! They're gonna attack her next! Why did she follow me? I told her to stay put! 

Miel felt her heart pump rapidly. At first she thought it was because she was scared, both for herself and Midori, but her heart sped faster and faster, like when Musruku was cast.

No, she couldn't have… 

A surge of raw energy swept through her, cutting off her thoughts. Her muscles, throbbed, then began to expand. But something was different—it wasn't just her muscles that were growing. Miel's entire body was changing. Her bones, her organs, everything swelled larger. Miel was in such ecstasy that she failed to notice her clothes were ripping.

* * *

The roots buckled and strained, trying desperately to hold their prisoner down.

"What's happening?" Xenia demanded.

An arm, massively muscled, burst from the roots. Midori gasped; the arm was much bigger than Miel's should've been. It was followed by another arm. They grasped the roots and tore them away like wet noodles. With a roar, Miel emerged. She was much taller and buffer now. She now looked like a strapping young lady of seventeen instead of fourteen. Her clothes hadn't changed with her though; they now looked skin-tight, and were ripped in many areas. The sleeves had burst open completely from her massive arms and legs.

"Whoa," Miel said, inspecting her new body in awe. She flexed her right arm, and her bicep ballooned to around the size of a cantaloupe. The muscles of her arm were like a mountain range. "I can definitely get used to this. And hey! I have boobs now!" She patted her chest a bit, then frowned. "No, it's just that my pecs are so much bigger now. But at least I've got _something_ there now…"

"Miel…" whispered Midori, amazed.

Xenia fearfully took a step back. "Ashley, could you cast a spell?"

"I'm out of heart energy," the girl gurgled sadly. "And even if I could, it wouldn't do any good."

Miel looked over and smiled. "So, you can't cast any more, huh? Wow, tough break!" She stepped over to them, towering with her new height. She was 170 centimeters tall now.

"I can't believe this!" Xenia yelled. "I get beaten by this bigoted bully? There's no justice!"

"Bully?" asked Midori. She stepped next to Miel. "You said she did perverted things to you."

"She did!" Miel insisted.

"I touched her arm and said I wanted to know her better," Xenia said. "Then she freaked out and called me a 'sick man-hater'! She just looked, you know, my type."

"Miel!" Midori snapped.

"I didn't want her touching and flirting with me!" Miel retorted.

"But what you said was very hurtful, Miel! You know what it's like to be insulted like that, so why would you stoop to that?"

"Yeah, _Miel,_" Xenia jeered. "Don't stoop to that sort of language."

Midori whirled around and pressed a finger to Xenia's forehead. "And you!" she said irately. "You can't just feel up someone and flirt with her just because she 'looked your type'! You didn't know a thing about Miel! Don't judge people by their looks alone!"

Xenia stepped back again, her hands raised in surrender. "Okay, okay, I get it, I get it."

"Now then," said Midori, "I want you two to apologize to each other."

"What?" Miel groaned.

"Go on!" Midori prodded.

Miel sighed, and reversed her transformation, shrinking back to her normal size and age. She thought about for a bit, remembering how other girls would accuse her of being attracted to other girls because she didn't look feminine, remembering being called a boy or just plain ugly. Her stomach clenched queasily; she hated name-calling, and looking back on it, she couldn't believe she had said some of the same things to Xenia. It had been a knee-jerk reaction at Xenia coming on to her, but it surprised her how strong her revulsion had been.

"Look," she said finally, "I'm sorry for overreacting and calling you names."

"And I'm sorry for just hitting on you like that and making you feel uncomfortable," said Xenia. "Hey, you know, we really got off on the wrong foot. I know this is the Devil Battle, but there's no rule against being friends for a while. What do you say? We girls gotta stick together!"

"Erm, I don't know if I want to be friends, exactly," said Miel. "Maybe if we run into each other again…I'll think about it."

Midori smiled. "Much better! Now doesn't that make you feel good?"

"Not to be rude," said Ashley, "but can we go now? My grandma is probably wondering about us."

"We can go now," said Midori. She turned around. "Thank you Hekuri; we couldn't have done this—"

Midori stopped. Hekuri had vanished.

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

_Miel: Another villain vanquished! But the Battle's still far from over! Many more evil Devil lie in wait to attack the unwary! It's up to the super magical girl to defeat them and bring peace to the World of Humans! Next on "Sexy, Sassy, Super Awsome Devil Girl Miel"! "Aim for the Top Miel!" I shall win the crown!_

_Xenia: Oh, I'm tingley just from hearing that! _

_Midori: You didn't vanquish anyone Miel..._

_Miel: Read and review, loyal readers! Tell me how awsome I am!_


	6. Level 6: An'uuto

**赤色のミエル **

**_Sekishoku no Miel!_**

* * *

_I do not own_ Konjiki no Gash!_ Or_ Konjiki no Gash Bell!_ Or_ Zatch Bell!_ They belong to Makoto Raiku,_ Shuukan Shounen Sunday_, Shougakukan, VIZ Media, Touei Animation, and Cartoon Network._

_Takumi Asimov is property of Hajime Morikawa._

* * *

**Level 6: 暗物**

**Level 6: An'uuto**

Miel emerged from the changing room in her new shirt and jeans. "Thanks Midori!" Miel grinned. "These new clothes are really cool!" She had an oversized red T-shirt and blue jeans; not terribly different from her old clothes.

_I hope I don't have to use that spell again,_ Midori thought. _I don't want to have to buy Miel new clothes after each fight._ But Midori just smiled. "Your welcome Miel."

They left the store, walking down the sidewalk to Midori's home. "My family's kinda poor, you see," Miel said. "We couldn't afford magical clothes so I just had to wear baggy stuff."

"I hope your new clothes stay in one piece for a while," Midori replied blankly. She was more interested in Hekuri at the moment. Just who was he? What was he doing? Midori had many questions for the ethereal boy, but it seemed he only appeared when he felt like it. If she got to ask him any questions in the future it would have to be on his terms.

_Miel didn't see him, but those other two girls did. He faded away quickly after giving Miel that new spell._

"You okay Midori?" Miel asked, concerned.

Midori blinked. "Oh?"

"You sound kinda spaced out."

"Sorry Miel. I was just thinking about other things."

"Sure."

* * *

Night came and everyone was in bed. Midori was lying in bed, looking up at the ceiling. As she expected, the soft white light illuminated her room as Hekuri appeared. He stumbled to his knees and lay crouched on the floor, breathing heavily. Midori sat up and put on her glasses to look at him. 

"Can I help?" she asked.

"The warmth of your pure heart is help enough, maiden" Hekuri said good-naturedly even as he struggled to get to his feet. His movements were unsteady, as though he hadn't moved in a long time.

Midori put a hand over her chest. "My pure heart?" she asked.

"I gain strength from you," Hekuri said, shakily standing up. "I apologize for being such a parasite, but I need your body to survive out here."

Somehow the strange admission made her feel excited. But she had to know more about the boy before this continued any longer. After all, she never gave him permission to stay with her. "Hekuri," she began, "who are you really? Are you another Devil?"

"No," he answered. "I am an _An'uuto_, a being from the World of Darkness. More specifically, I am a unique _Shamuan'uuto_."

"A…what?" Midori asked, confused.

Hekuri pointed in front of him and began to trace something in the air. Midori gasped when glowing lines appeared, following his fingertip. He traced out a series of complex shapes, then motioned with his hand. The glowing writing flipped over and Midori saw a series of characters.

唯一上暗物

"_Yui'ichi Jouanbutsu?_" she read.

"That's how you would say it in your language," Hekuri said. "In my language it's _yuirito Shamuan'uuto._"

"What is your language?" Midori asked. "Is it a dialect of Chinese? I mean, with those characters…"

"It's Emu," he said. "The language of the World of Darkness."

With a wave of his hand the characters were erased. In their place he wrote some more.

赫利

"My own name," he said, smiling.

"What a beautiful name," Midori said. "I really want to pronounce that as _Kakuri_ though. I'm just too used to that kind of reading."

"I think I can help with that." Hekuri added some writing to the characters.

赫 ( ヘク ) 利 ( リ )

"Better now?"

"That does help," Midori said. "Thank you Hekuri."

The boy bowed slightly. "Your welcome, maiden."

Midori blushed. Why did he have to call her that? It made her feel young and girlish but it also reminded her that she was still painfully single. "So, what is this World of Darkness?"

He turned away from her and looked out her window at the night outside. "It is the realm of the An'uuto," he answered, "a place where life evolved from the cold essence of darkness."

"Why do you need me though?" she asked. "You seem nice enough but you just sort of intruded on me. You never really asked if you could stay with me."

"I apologize," he said, turning back to her. "I had no choice. I was dying at the time. You were the best option I had. You saved me."

"Saved you from what?" she asked. "Hekuri, I need more answers. Who are you really and what's going on?"

He sighed and looked away. "I'm afraid I can't tell you yet. I need to observe you a little more. Just a little more. You've been a perfect host so far, but I still need to be sure…"

"Be sure of what?"

Hekuri was silent for a moment, then said, "If you're trustworthy."

"You don't trust me?" she asked.

"I can't be too careful," he responded. "But so far you haven't told anyone about me. That's very good. I'm sure I can trust you."

Midori wasn't sure if she liked this. Why did Hekuri want to stay secret? Was he a criminal in the World of Darkness? A wanted man? Was she the unwitting accomplice to a very dangerous boy? She had so much more to ask but knew Hekuri wasn't willing to answer now.

"Well then," Midori said, "I guess you're finished here. Thank you for powering up the book earlier."

"Your welcome. I can't do that again though; I was drained to the point of death by helping Miel remember that spell. The other spells are much more complex so trying to unravel them _will_ kill me, even with your heart as support. You're on your own with the other spells."

Midori nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Hekuri smiled at her. He leaned over and gave her a light kiss on the cheek, surprising her. "_Man'an, retonyu,_" he said softly, tenderly. "Good night, maiden." Then he was gone.

Midori sat there, blushing furiously. Her cheek felt so warm now, like his soft lips had never left. It was a long time before she was able to sleep and when she finally did she dreamed of nothing but Hekuri.

* * *

A week passed, thankfully without further fighting. Miel didn't encounter any Devils and Midori heard very little from Hekuri; only enough to let her know he was still with her. She didn't learn anything new about him. 

When Midori went to Mochinoki High a few days after the fight with Xenia she was surprised to see that for the second day Ken Bak was absent. He usually let her know when he was feeling ill, and while he was known to occasionally skip classes he never skipped her English class. It made her feel sad, and perhaps a little uneasy. If that Foncé girl really was Bak's Devil then there was no telling what might happen.

_Well, at least that opens up a seat for that transfer student I heard was coming in today,_ she thought.

When class started the usual students, minus Bak, filed in. When everyone was seated, Midori put on a cheerful smile and stood up at her desk. "Good morning, students," she said. "I have some wonderful news for you: Starting today we have a new transfer student."

The new student entered, and already she could hear the girls begin their gossip and giggling. She didn't blame them; the boy was quite handsome. Tall and slim and possessing platinum blond hair and green eyes, the boy was very distinctive looking. He was wearing his new uniform and looked fairly distinguished. His face was very serious and intelligent.

"Your name please," Midori asked.

The boy took a piece of chalk and with some graceful strokes produced a name in Cyrillic and kana.

Та ( タ ) ку ( ク ) ми ( ミ ) А ( ア ) зи ( シ ) мо ( モ ) в ( フ )

"My name is Takumi Asimov," he said in a dry voice. "Pleased to meet you. I transferred in from Singapore."

"Your Japanese is flawless," complimented a pretty girl named Risa Ino'ue.

"I'm part Japanese actually," Asimov answered. "I made sure to learn the language."

"Isn't Singapore part of China or something?" someone else asked.

"No," Asimov stated flatly, "it isn't."

"Go back to Russia!" a boy in the back, Jun'ichi Hiyama called.

"I'm not even dignifying that with a response," was Asimov's answer.

"Mr. Hiyama!" Midori snapped. "That will be quite enough." If there was one particular troublemaker in her first period class it was that boy. A while back he had actually driven Bak to stab him in the neck with a pencil after insulting him repeatedly.

Midori turned to Asimov. "Well Mr. Asimov, you may take your seat now."

"Thank you miss." He took the nearest available seat and sat down. It was in the front row, very close to her desk. Bak's usual desk. He always liked being close to her.

"All right then class, let's begin." Midori got out her books and opened to the day's lesson. _With the way things have been going I wouldn't be surprised if Asimov had a Devil book,_ she thought. She glanced at him quickly, then smiled. _No, of course not! What would the chances of that be?_

_**To be continued...**_

* * *

_Author's notes: Here we are, roughly a year later, and what do I have to show for it? Six chapters. When it came around to "Kokushoku no Foncé!"'s first birthday I had completed a total of forty-three chapters, making it the second longest story so far in the entire _Konjiki no Gash!_ category. This story though has progressed very slowly. I apologize for that. I wish I could write this faster. I really do like this story a lot and I want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed in the past. _

_I hope my portrayal of Takumi is satisfactory to you, Morikawa. Please tell me if you feel could edit him for the better._

_Miel: Yay! One whole year! Here's to the adventures in the future!_


End file.
